Wicker baskets have many uses, both now and in the past.
Wicker Baskets Background
The baskets do not have to be wicker. However, for it to be considered wicker, it has to be weaved. Wicker baskets are created using organic reed, grass, cane and roots or other man-made items into containers that are used for storage, carrying or displaying things. They can be used for many purposes. They could be big or small, have handles and lids that open up and be hung on a wall Home Improvement or sit on tables or the ground. They are available in many shapes, sizes and kinds and are made of a variety of materials.
Woven wicker baskets are traditionally made by hand. The art of basket weaving involves weaving. From the beginning in Egypt to the current days in nearly all countries of the world, wicker-woven baskets are well-known and utilized by a significant portion of the population. Wicker baskets are used in almost every household today.
Why are Wicker baskets so popular?
Wicker baskets are a classic product that has been around for thousands and will continue to be popular for many more years. What’s the reason Wicker baskets remain so popular? It’s simple to see the reason. Simple manufacturing and cost , along with a wide availability of materials and skilled people with the desire to create something beautiful and useful. Crafted items are appealing because they are functional, inexpensive and have a high level of appeal.
One could only imagine what life would be like in a world without the wicker baskets. Since the beginning, wicker was utilized to create almost every thing. Wicker products are light and sturdy. Baskets were desirable as compared to the alternative of solid wooden or metal containers.
Since the tools and materials were easily accessible, it was simple to create the items you needed in the past. They used the skills and materials they had to build the products required to enhance their lives. Making baskets from Wicker was an important talent that was sought after. The materials can be weaved into the basket. This container can hold and store large items. A big advantage of making things from wicker was that they were less heavy than counterparts might have been. Wood and clay are heavy and difficult to carry. Based on the amount of wicker baskets manufactured and sold every year, they’re definitely something that is sought-after.
Wicker Baskets: What are the uses for them?
Baskets can be used to store and transport things, and for everyday chores. They can also be used to display items like flowers or simply be used as a decoration. Particularly, some wicker baskets are designed for cooking and some act as sieves. Other baskets serve as traps for fish or other animals to be kept. It is all about where you live, the person you are and you intend to accomplish.
A fisherman makes use of the wicker basket, which has an opening lid that latches and a sling to hold and carry the fish they catch. A popular seafood restaurant utilizes the same basket to display piece that is hung on the wall as an art piece to create an atmosphere with their customers. Many countries in the third world use larger wicker baskets for storing fruits, vegetables and other grains in their homes as well as in their markets. In developed countries like the USA these same baskets are used to decorate or to display products in retail stores.
Certain types of medium-sized baskets are designed for use in laundry. Laundry hampers serve to keep dirty laundry until it is ready to be washed . However an laundry basket with two handles that are open to the top and wide is used for transporting the clean and dirty laundry and from the place you wash it, to the place you store it for wear.
Egg baskets are made with a particular shape so that eggs won’t fall and are able to be staked when harvesting. Vegetable and flower baskets have an enormous hooped handle as well as open space above a slightly curving oval-shaped woven bottom that is designed to let you choose things such as leafy vegetables & spices or flowers on a stem as well as onions as well as other large garden options that aren’t able to fit into smaller, closed-in baskets.
There is a huge popularity of using a Wicker wastebaskets for bathrooms and bedrooms. Wicker magazines baskets can be able to be used in countries with advanced technology based on the design of their baskets to keep magazines and newspapers next to your chair. Baskets for magazines usually include handles and flat bottoms. ones can be used to transport wine bottles or Jars.
In every country, round wicker baskets have lids. There are many applications for round baskets. In some countries , these kinds of baskets to store root crops, or died fruit. They are used in different countries to contain insects and snakes. Larger, more advanced nations might use these baskets for trash collection or hampers for clothes.
These examples only show a few of the many uses for Wicker baskets. These examples also demonstrate that a basket can have many uses, as well as different uses across different countries or cultures.
Basket Materials and Construction
The lightweight and sturdiness of wicker baskets after they are woven make them a quality product over many others. They can be made from various organic and man-made materials. Traditionalists love their baskets constructed of organic materials. However, depending on how they are used, resin baskets are becoming more popular for both indoors and outdoor use.
Wicker baskets can be constructed using any long flexible material that can be woven. To soften certain materials like rattan ored for instance to soften it, it should be soaked in warm water prior to when it can be used. If not, it will fracture and crack. It is essential that the material used is flexible so it can be weaved, specifically in tight weaves.
Before weavers begin weaving a basket, it is necessary to establish a base and frame. Weavers use spokes to join the basket. The spokes or staves are used to create a round, conventional basket that is upright. The weavers weave the horizontal pieces of the running around the spokes.
Every region and country where wicker baskets can be made has its own unique designs. The overall shape and design of the basket is unique and the weave pattern. Numerous sophisticated patterns have evolved over the years many of which are breath-taking. Some basket makers also decorate their baskets with designs. These extra features are visually pleasing making the baskets more attractive.
Organic basket materials can be used in their natural color state or can be stained or painted to reflect whatever colors the maker wants. Organic materials are made of wood and are able to absorb colors and stains, allowing paints to adhere. Resin-based materials already have colors therefore you don’t have to stain or paint.
Some baskets require handles as part of their initial construction. It is essential that the basket maker decide in advance whether they would like to include a handle to their basket. If they do then they must include spokes that are integrated into the overall design. those spokes will become the handle.
These baskets are 100 percent made of wicker. However, wicker baskets may be designed with other materials, such as a wood frame or wood base to which a weave can be added.
Many people find wicker baskets attractive. The method we organize, transport and change our culture could be affected if wicker baskets weren’t in use. The weaving of baskets was both an essential thing and an art. Today, we live in a time where we can purchase and appreciate wicker baskets without the need to create them. Craftsmen from all over the world are experts in this dying art. Third world countries make most of the baskets that we see today, because that’s where the expertise is the labor costs are cheap and the raw materials are plentiful. The skills are losing value because the work is tedious and the workers aren’t earning much for the effort they put into it. So, they move on to higher paying jobs as quickly as they can.
